Ron Palillo, of 'Welcome Back, Kotter' fame, 63

Ron Palillo, best known as the nasal classroom goofball Arnold Horshack on the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter," died Tuesday morning in his Palm Beach Gardens home. He was 63.

His agent, Scott Stander, said Mr. Palillo died of a heart attack. Mr. Palillo lived at the residence with his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm, a retired actor.

Longtime friends described Mr. Palillo as an enthusiastic lover of the performing arts, whether it was acting, directing or writing. The one role he relished was the one that made him famous.

"Everybody called him Horshack. He still embraced it. He embraced his fans," Stander said. "He had a joie de vivre for life. Everybody loved Ron."

A Connecticut native and graduate of the University of Connecticut, Mr. Palillo — whose birth name was Paolillo — rose to stardom while playing the nerdy Horshack, one of the Sweathogs on the high school program that aired from 1975 to 1979. His character was known for taunting the teacher with the catchphrase: "Ooh, ooh, ooh, Mr. Kotter." The show also launched the career of John Travolta.

After the series, Mr. Palillo played various TV supporting characters on and off camera. His voice was used in the 1981 animated series "Laverne and Shirley in the Army" and in the 1991 Disney cartoon "Darkwing Duck." He also had a small role in the 1986 thriller "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" and played himself in several episodes of the former ABC series "Ellen."

Mr. Palillo was also an artist who produced illustrations for two children's books.

In 2005, he produced the play, "The Lost Boy," about the creation of Peter Pan. It was performed in Nyack and Brooklyn.

"He was in the process of rewriting it,'' said Rita McKenzie, who had co-produced the play with Mr. Palillo. She noted the story "touched him in some way."

He made Palm Beach County his permanent home after moving from New York City in 2009. That year, Mr. Palillo began teaching entry-level acting at G-Star School of the Arts for Motion Pictures & Broadcasting, a West Palm Beach charter high school.

"He loved the kids,'' said Karen Poindexter, a longtime friend who lives in Palm Beach Gardens. "The kids is what made it for him. He loved his students."

Of his recent role as an educator, he told the Sun Sentinel three years ago, "These kids want to be here. You don't have to fight to jam something down their throats."

He is survived by one sister and two brothers. Donations can be made in Palillo's name to the National Arts Institute in Palm Beach (NationalArtsInstitute.org).